Category: Literacy

Instructions For a Heatwave was the Waterstones Book of the Month for March and is the first Maggie O’Farrell novel which I have read. I am certain it won’t be the last.

It is 1976 and the hottest summer since records began: ‘it inhabits the house like a guest who has outstayed his welcome’. Gretta Riordan, Irish-born, London-living, is baking soda bread, and Robert Riordan, her restless husband, is going to get a newspaper. He doesn’t return.

The greatest achievement of Instructions For a Heatwave is not its plot, despite the skill therein, but rather its deft portrayal of a family breakdown (or several family breakdowns, perhaps). For there are huge secrets within the Riordan clan: Michael Francis’s infidelity, the effect of Aoife in utero on Gretta, and Aoife’s dyslexia.

What I enjoyed the most about the novel, however, was O’Farrell’s portrayals of Ireland, Irishness and attitudes to the Irish. Take Michael Francis’s future father in law’s questions:

‘From Northern Ireland? Or southern Ireland?’

‘Ah. But you’re not IRA, are you?’

I have taken a long time to read this book. But then, it is no page turner, like Gone Girl. Rather, it is a deliciously long yet rewarding walk, with a glittering view over the sea to savour at the end. It will stay with me a long time.

If you didn’t already know, I’m a bookseller (well, I’m an assistant manager now, but I’ll always be a bookseller at heart). Books are at the heart of both my working and family life; I could read before I started school, and I hope my son will be able to also.

However, some people are not so lucky. For whatever reason – education, upbringing, perhaps – reading ended up seeming a chore rather than a pleasure.

So, what are you waiting for? Why not pop down to your local Waterstones and pick up of the new titles tomorrow?

Doctor Who: The Silurian Gift
Mike Tucker

The world’s fuel is running out. Would you believe the man who claimed to have the solution? The Silurian Gift would make a great introduction to the Doctor Who novelisations for a younger reader, or an adult who enjoys reading but struggles to find the time to do so.

Wrong Time, Wrong Place
Simon Kernick

What would you do if you found a half-naked, injured woman in the Scottish highlands? Simon Kernick is one of the UK’s top crime writers, and Wrong Time, Wrong Place is a brilliant thriller, full of moral dilemmas. I think that crime is one of the best genres to either create or reinvigorate a love of reading.

Kathy Lette
Love is Blind

‘I’m so glad you’re slipping between my covers’: what better example of the lovely Kathy Lette’s wit, and incentive to read Love is Blind? Jane and Anthea are chalk-and-cheese siblings. When Jane decides to emigrate to Australia to find love, Anthea thinks she’s lost the plot. But is Anthea as straight-laced and sorted as she appears?

A Sea Change
Veronica Henry

Veronica Henry used to write for Holby City and Heartbeat, and as that writing history suggests, reading her work is like wrapping yourself in a Slanket (and I promise I mean in a positive sense!). A Sea Change is about love and surfing, and features a character known as The Ice Cream Girl. Why aren’t you reading it yet?

A Dreadful Murder
Minette Walters

This tale is particularly close to my heart, as it’s based on the true story of a murder in my home county of Kent. When Caroline Luard is shot dead, many suspect her husband is the culprit. But are things that simple? A Dreadful Murder is perfect for fans of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or Death Comes to Pemberley.

Today Everything Changes
Andy McNab

I must confess that I had no idea that Andy McNab’s early life was so bleak. More positively, what better champion for literacy and reading for pleasure than a bestselling writer who once struggled with reading himself? Today Everything Changes is a truly inspirational read.